Folding-machine.



1. HUSLER, In. FOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION nun sznzs. ms.

1,263, 11 8. Patented Apr. 23,1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HUSLER, JR, OF SAUG US, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HUsLnn, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Saugns, in the 'county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in l olding-Machincs, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specific tion, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. l

This invention relates to machines for operating upon the margins of pieces of flexible material and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for slitting, folding and nressing the margins of pieces of upper leather which are to be incorporated in boots and shoes.'

In' folding the margins of certain pieces of uppers it is desirable to slit the margin where a concave curve is encountered. For example, it is customary to fold without slitting the straight ed es on the inside of a long vamp but to shtthe curved throat when that portion is encountered. Hitherto various mechanisms have been designed for throwing the slitting knife into and out of operation during the operationof the machine but in all of them the slits produced by a given knife are all of uniform length and the knife is always adjusted toward the stock to render it operative.

One feature of the present invention comprises in a machine of the class described a slitting knife adjustable transversely to the edge of the stock to render it operative. In the illustrative machine the'knife 1s vibrated continuously in a path which normally does not intersect the stock, and means are provided for adjusting the knife over the stock so that intersection will take place. This adjustment is at all times under control of the operator who may move the knife progressively into operative position in such amanner that at the beginning and at the end of the slitting operation the length of the slits gradually increase and decrease respectively.

This and other features of the invention including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will be described in connection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying draw- 1n *ignre 1 is an elevation of a machine in whic the present invention is embodied, certain parts having been omitted in order to show the invention more clearly;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective of the members which operate upon the stock;

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail elevations of the knife and its operating mechanism, Fig. 23 showing the knife in inoperative and Fig. 4 in operative position;

Fig. 5 shows a portion of a vamp the in ner edges and throat of which have been operated upon by the machine.

As has been explained, one purpose of the invention is to throw the knife into and out of operation by moving it in a direction transverse to the edge of the stock so that at the beginning of the slitting operation the slits progressively increase in length until the full length is attained, and at the end of said operation the slits progressively decrease in length until the knife no longer intersects the stock. This effect is clearly shown in Fig. 5 in which the-slits at both ends of the slitted throat of the vamp are shorter than. the slits in the middle ortion.

The machine in which the invention has been shown as embodied is identical in many respects with the machine of the application of Glass Serial No. 5245, and the same reference characters have been used in the present drawings to indicate parts which are identical or substantially so with those of the Glass machine.

The frame 2 is formed with two parallel horizontally projecting arms in the upper of which is journaled the main shaft 4 carrying at its outer end a driving pulley 6. Suitable clutch mechanism may be provided for starting and stoppin the main shaft but as this forms no part 0 the present invention it is omitted for the sake of clearness.

The lower arm 3 of the frame is sulostan tially cylindrical in shape and of relatively small cross section so that it may be passed through a closed vamp when such work is upon the work is the age for determining the width of the margin to be folded. As herein shown the gage comprises an adjustable block 10 having an upstanding projection 12 against which the unfolded edge of the work is intended to run. The work plate 8 is recessed to receive the gage block 10 and the latter is adjustably held in place by a screw and slot connection with the work plate 8.

At the rear of the gage 12 is located the stationary turning device or plow 14 which acts to bend the edge upwardly and partially form the fold. This member also is secured to the stationary work plate 9.

Beyond the plow 14 the work plate 8 is slotted to permit the passage of the shank of the hammer 16 which is; pivoted below the work plate 8 upon a transverse stud 18.

Coiiperating with the hammer 16 is the stationary anvil 20 which is permancmly secured and held in place by a recess in the work plate 8.

The work is fed by a positivel oscillated feed foot 24 and a freely 'oscil ating feed block 26, said foot bein carried at the lower end of a rod 36 the a justable fulcrum of which (not shown) is connected with a bell crank spacing lever 54 pivoted to the frame at 115 so that when said lever is swung to the right (as viewed in Fig. 1) the extent of the intermittentfeed movements is decreased. The spacing lever 54 has a locking head 50 which moves over a curved block 58 and may be locked in any desired position if desired. If, however, such manual adjustment of the lever 54 is not desired, the locking head 56 may be entirely disconnected from the block 58 so as to permit said lever to be adjusted by means of a treadle connected with the rod 68, said rod acting through a bell crank lever 66, a link 86, an arm 114 and a second arm (not shown) which may be connected with the spacing lever 54 by a locking pin (also not shown) formed to fit in holes 119 in a lug on said spacing lever. The stem of the presser foot 92 is connected through a spring (not shdwn) to a cam follower 98 which encirclesacam on the shaft 4.

The mechanism which has been briefly outlined above will not be further described since the details of its construction form no part of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the work is fed intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, that said margin is progressively folded and the fold hammered or pressed, and that the rate of feed may be varied during the operation of the machine. Verticall slidable in a guideway formed in the hen. of themachine is a knife bar 201 which is pivoted-at its upper end at 203 to the cam follower 98 from which the Eresser foot 92 is reciprocated. The knife ar consequently reciprocates continuously.

Pivoted to the lower end of the knife bar at 204 is a knife carrier 205 said carrier being formed with a yoke which embraces the reduced lower end of the knife bar and through the arms of which the pivot 204 passes. In Fig. 3 there is indicated at 206 the shoulder formed by the reduction in size of the lower end of the knife bar 201; and it will be noted that between this shoulder and the upper surface of the yoke 205 a space is provided so that said yoke may turn to an extent about the pivot 204. Adjustably fastened to the knife carrier by a screw and slot connection is the knife 207; and extending upwardly from the rear end of the carrier and rigid with it is an arm 208 to the upper end of which is pivoted a link 209 having a slot 211 to receive a pin 213 which passes through the arms of the forked end of the spacing arm 114. When, there" fore, the arm 114 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the knife 207 is held to the rear of the machine and does not intersect the edge of the stock but when the arm is swung to the position shown in Fig. 4 the edge of the stock is slitted. A spring pressed plunger 215 is provided to maintain the knife in inoperative position; and a set screw 217 furnishes means for limiting the forward movement of the knife and hence the maximum length of the slits produced by The knife. As the knife is moved from inoperative to operative position the first few cuts increase progressively in length until the maximum length has beenreached; and when the knife is moved back to inop erati've position the last -,few cuts decrease similarly. This progressive increase and decrease in the length of the slits at the beginnin and end of the slitting operation is particlilarly advantageous when sharply concave edges such as those at the throats of vamps are being operated upon since it preserves as far as possible the strength of the leather by slitting the edge only slightly where the curve is slight. It also results in smooth curves from the sides to the throat and avoids the irregularities which often occur at these points when the slits are all of the same length.

Although in the description of the machine which. has been given above movement of the knife to throw it into or out of operation varies the rate of feed, it should be understood that this is not compulsory and that in the present machine as in that shown in the Glass application referred to above the connections between the spacing lever and the knife are such that said lever and knife may be controlled entirely independently if desired. The method which may be practised by the machine illustrated in this application is not claimed herein but forms the subject matter of a divisional application Serial No. 220,494, filed March 5, 1818.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stee means for feeding said stock intermittcn a" into position to have its margin operated upon, a knife for slitting said margln, means for moving said knife from a position over one part of the support to a position over another part of the support to throw it into and out of operative position, and means for folding the slitted margin.

2. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a icce of stock, means for feeding said stoc: intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a knife for slitting said margin, means for moving said knife during the operation of the machine from a position in which it intersects the plane of the support at one point to a position in which it intersects said plane at another point to throw said knife into and out of operative position, and means, for folding the slitted margin.

3, A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its'margin operated upon, a knife for slitting said margin, treadle controlled means for moving said knife from a position in which it intersects the plane of the support at one point to a position in which it intersects said plane at another point to throw said knife into and out of operative position, and means for folding the slitted margin.

4. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon and mechanism for slitting said margin, said mechanism comprising a continuously reciprocating knife, means for adjusting said knife during its reciprocation in a path transverse to its path of reciprocation, and means for folding the siitted margin.

5. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon and mechanism for slitting said margin, said mechanism compr s ing a continuously moving member, a knife carrier connected with said member but caable of adjustment with respect thereto a knife mounted in said carrier, means or adjusting said carrier in a path at an angle to that of said movin member during the operation of the mac inc, and means for folding the slitted margin.

6. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a knife for slitting said margin, means for throwing said knife progressively into and out of operative position whereby the length of the slits reduced increases and decreases res ective y at the beginning and at the end 0 the slitting operation, and means for folding the slitted margm.

7. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a knife for slittin said margin, treadle controlled means for t rowing said knife progressively into and out of operative position during the operation of the machine whereby the length of the slits produced increases and decreases respectively at the beginning and at the end of the slitting operation, and means for folding the slitted margin.

8. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, means for progressively folding the margin, means for pressing the fold, and means for slitting the margin, said last named means comprising a continuously reciprocated knife adjustable during the operation of the machine in a direction transverse to its path of reciprocation.

9. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a support for a piece of stock, means for feeding said stock intermittently into position to have its margin operated upon, a continuously moving knife, means for moving said knife during the operation of the machine transversely to the path of continuous movement of said knife to cause it to slit said margin, and means for determining the maximum length of the slits roduced.

10. A fol ing machine, havin in combi nation, a support for a piece of exible sheet material, means for feeding said material intermittently over said support, a knife for slitting the margin of said material, means for reciprocating said knife in a path which intersects the plane of the material but not the material itself, means for moving the knife during the operation of the machine in a path at an an le to its pathof reciprocation to cause said knife to slit the margin of the material, and means for folding and pressing the slitted margin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

- JOHN HUSLER, Jn. 

